Japan Life variety pack 🇯🇵

Welcome to the August edition of Michael in Asia! July was pretty packed with travel for me. During the summer, I’m spending more time in Japan as it’s way too hot in Taiwan currently 🥵. This is a very Japan 🇯🇵 focused edition this time; I will be running through upcoming changes to the Business Manager Visa, My Number Card related tips, and using contactless bank cards for transit in Japan.

Table of Contents

• 508.dev Engineering Co-op 👨‍💻

• Business Manager Visa — Big Changes on the Horizon

• Continue using your My Number Card Overseas: Only …

• Using Nenkin-Net (Japanese Pension site) without a …

• Using e-Tax Without a My Number Card

• Pay via Contactless Bank Cards for Transit in Japa …

  • Tokyo: Still Awkward 🗼

  • Osaka / Kansai: Much Better

  • Fukuoka: Smooth Experience

  • Bottom Line

• Conclusions

508.dev Engineering Co-op 👨‍💻

I wanted to bump one of my other projects, 508.dev. This is a software development agency that I’m helping run that operates in a different manner than a typical top-down agency. We’ve gathered high-qualified, English fluent, engineers, product managers, designers, data scientists etc. from all over the world (concentrated in Taiwan, Japan, and the US).

If you’re a company looking for skilled contractors, we’d love to talk! We can work with you either by embedding our members directly into your team or by delivering the full project as a contracting company — whatever fits your needs and workflow. Reach out at [email protected] if you have a project that might fit.

If you are a designer, developer, data scientist, or other product roles and you have spare cycles, we could use more talented folks to help staff projects as they come in. There are no location requirements, and you can set your own rates and hours. All we ask is a passion for quality work and a spirit of collaboration. Read more about how to join at: https://508.dev/join

Business Manager Visa — Big Changes on the Horizon

Since around 2015, Japan’s Business Manager Visa has been a surprisingly attainable option to live in Japan compared to similar visas in other countries. The rules have been pretty straightforward:

• 5 million yen (~$35,000 USD) in capital or two full-time local employees.

• An approved business plan.

• A physical office in Japan — anything from a commercial space to a separate residential unit, or even a home office (as long as it has its own entrance and sign).

For small business owners or freelancers wanting to put down roots in Japan, it’s been one of the more approachable pathways — and one that has been used / abused in creative ways, which is one of the reasons for the current reform push. More details on the changes at Japan Remotely.

Government committees are seriously looking at tightening up the requirements, and while the timing isn’t set, the Ministry of Justice has floated a proposal to raise the capital requirement from 5 million yen to 30 million yen (~$203,000 USD). This would put Japan’s rules more in line with stricter systems in other countries, and for many, that’s simply out of reach.

There’s also talk of tightening the operational requirements. Some visa holders have done little more than register a single “minpaku” apartment as their business, which has fueled criticism that the system is being used as a loophole rather than to foster active businesses.

Alongside the capital hike, the reform would also require hiring at least one full-time employee who is either a Japanese citizen or a permanent resident. The current flexibility — meeting requirements with just capital — would be removed.

If these changes go through, the Business Manager Visa will shift from a relatively modest entry point to something requiring serious capital and a stronger operational footprint from day one.

My Number Card Comes to Apple Wallet 📱

Announced in June 2025 (Japanese article), you can now add your My Number Card (マイナンバーカード, Mainanbā Kādo) directly to Apple Wallet on your iPhone. This makes it much easier to carry and present your digital ID — no more digging through your wallet for the plastic card. A My Number Card is useful for conducting various government procedures digitally without having to go to an government office, such as getting your tax records, pension records, and filing government forms, including tax returns.

To set it up, you can follow this setup guide from Apple support.

First you’ll need the Mynaportal app (マイナポータル) from the App Store:

1. Make sure you are on the latest version of the app and follow the setup instructions to add the digital My Number Card.

2. Read your physical My Number Card by holding it to your iPhone.

3. Enter your 4-digit PIN and your longer alphanumeric password.

4. Take a selfie and complete a quick “liveness check” so the system knows it’s really you.

Once added, you can simply tap your iPhone anywhere a My Number card is normally read — for example, at government service counters or certain automated machines. Apple Wallet will prompt you to authenticate before transmitting your details.

It also works online. In participating apps, app clips, or websites, you’ll see a “Verify with Apple Wallet” button. Tap it, authenticate, and your My Number information is securely shared without having to type anything in.

At launch, the feature is aimed at making government procedures smoother, but it’s easy to imagine this becoming part of daily life — from tax filing to pension applications — without ever having to pull out the physical card.

Continue using your My Number Card Overseas: Only for Japanese Nationals (for now)

Since 2024, Japanese nationals living abroad have been able to continue using their My Number Card after completing the proper procedures. Unfortunately, this convenience does not extend to foreign residents—even those with valid visas or residence cards. The option to carry over or retain My Number status abroad is currently only available to Japanese citizens. I am still holding a valid Permanent Resident visa even after moving to Taiwan, and unfortunately the My Number card I have was disabled after completing the move out procedure. Hopefully this changes someday for expats, as there are legitimate reasons to continuing using your My Number card, such as filing taxes or checking your pension records online. Fortunately, there are alternatives:

Using Nenkin-Net (Japanese Pension site) without a My Number Card 👨‍🦳💴

Even if you don’t have a My Number Card, you can still use Nenkin-Net (ねんきんネット, nenkin netto), the Japanese Pension website to check your pension records online. There are two ways to register without a My Number Card:

1. With an Access Key (アクセスキー, akusesukī)

• The access key is printed on your annual pension notice, the ねんきん定期便 (nenkin teikibin).

• If you enter this key during signup, you can immediately issue a User ID online and start using Nenkin-Net right away.

• The catch: the access key is only valid for a limited time (usually about 3 months).

  

  Where the Access Key is on your annual pension notice

2. Without an Access Key

• If your statement didn’t include an access key, or if it expired, you can still register.

• In this case, you apply for a User ID online (you set your password at this time), and the Japan Pension Service will mail the credentials to your registered address.

• It takes a bit longer, but once you have the mailed ID and password, you can log in the same way as everyone else.

So while having the access key makes things instant, not having one doesn’t block you — it just means waiting for the login details to arrive by post.

Using e-Tax Without a My Number Card

You can still file taxes via e‑Tax without a My Number Card—but again, the setup is different:

• First, you’ll need to get a User ID and password. Follow the official instructions, but without a My Number Card you’d generally go to the tax office, apply by mail, or go through an accountant.

• Once you have that login, you can use those credentials to submit tax documents online.

So, yes—you can file taxes without a My Number Card. It’s just a bit less straightforward than using the full digital route.

Pay via Contactless Bank Cards for Transit in Japan 🚇

If you’ve been paying attention to your commute, you might have noticed that you can now use contactless bank cards directly at some train gates in Japan. Most card brands (Visa, JCB, Amex, etc.) are supported, with the big exception of MasterCard not being supported in some systems. Despite the advertised support, however, the experience depends a lot on where you are.

Tokyo: Still Awkward 🗼

The rollout here is inconsistent. JR Lines do not yet support contactless bank card payments. There are currently seven major companies in and around Tokyo experimenting with contactless card payment. Toei Subway, Keikyu Railway, and Seibu Railway are conducting limited tests at some stations. Keio Electric Railway, Tokyu Railways, and Yokohama Minatomirai Railway have bank-card gates at all stations. With the limited tests, or in certain other circumstances like transfer gates, you may run into awkward situations. In some places you might be able to tap in but find no compatible gate to tap out. In this case, you need to talk to the station staff to pay the correct fare using normal means, or find the specific exit that supports tap to pay.

• Example: Keikyu Line from Haneda — tap-in works fine. But when you transfer at Shinagawa to JR, the JR transfer gates don’t accept tap-to-pay. You’ll have to exit completely and re-enter through a different gate, which is clunky.

• I’ve also found situations on supposedly supported lines where I enter via credit card tap, but then can’t find a gate supporting tap on the way out.

• I’ve also found some gates that look like they support contactless bank card payments but don’t actually - I’ve been explained that this is actually if you have a commuter pass attached to that bank card.

Coverage is expanding, but for now Tokyo is still fragmented.

Osaka / Kansai: Much Better

In the Kansai region (Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara), coverage is far more seamless. JR West has integrated contactless credit card payments widely across its network, and many private railways also support it. For visitors, this means you can get from Kansai Airport into Osaka or Kyoto without worrying about hitting an unsupported gate.

Fukuoka: Smooth Experience

Fukuoka has also adopted tap-to-pay in a way that feels much closer to what travelers expect. JR Kyushu lines around Fukuoka and the Fukuoka City Subway both work smoothly with contactless credit cards. It’s reliable enough here that you could realistically use it instead of Suica/PASMO or their local equivalents. Fukuoka City Subway has even set a daily maximum fare to save you money if you use tap-to-pay.

Bottom Line

For now, Tokyo still requires a Suica, PASMO, or their mobile versions (Apple Pay/Google Pay) if you want peace of mind. Tap-to-pay with foreign credit cards is improving, but in Tokyo it’s best treated as a backup. Kansai and Fukuoka, as well as a few other regions, on the other hand, are already much closer to being “tap in, tap out, done.”

Conclusions

I hope this edition was helpful! I was meaning to write a longer piece about buying property, and hotel / guesthouse licensing in Japan along with corporate structures, but that will have to wait until next month. You can always reach out at [email protected] for comments or questions! Remember, you can also support this publication by becoming a paid subscriber or a Patreon!